Weiner must pay for his “boner.”

(Editor’s note – This blog is dedicated to Fred Merkle, and his infamous “boner” on the base paths which cost the New York Giants the National League Pennant in 1908. Rest in peace in Fred.)

What is there that is left to say regarding the sad, sordid tale of one, Anthony Weiner? (Hopefully a lot, otherwise this will prove to be my shortest blog ever.) He is in many respects the ultimate “White Tornado.” Anybody who happens to finds themselves in Weiner’s path of destruction had better take cover. Just like a tornado, Weiner hasn’t chosen to destroy anybody on purpose. The damage that occurs is completely arbitrary. “Hurricane Weiner” demonstrates little remorse as it leaves nothing untouched in its wake. Welcome to the world of the complete narcissist, enter if you dare.

The “pursed lip,” the tell-tale sign of any politician (Bill Clinton, Elliot Spitzer, Anthony Weiner) who is deeply sorry…sorry that they were caught doing something naughty. (Getty Images)

This past week, Anthony Weiner was forced to finally take responsibility for his actions, actions that could very likely land him in jail, and even force him to register as a sex offender. On Friday May 19th, former Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner pled guilty to exchanging sexually explicit text messages with a 15-year-old girl. The crime carries a possible prison sentence of anywhere from zero to 10 years in prison, and Weiner has promised that he will not appeal any sentence that he is given that would land him in prison for anywhere from 21 to 27 months. The not-so-mighty haven’t just fallen, they have crashed and burned upon reentry like “Sky Lab.”

As it is with all politicians, Weiner is a world champion narcissist who possesses an unchecked ego, and a bottomless pit worth of hubris. This is of course what makes the fall of this former congressman so enjoyable to his enemies. Weiner as a congressman had positioned himself as a hero of the working and middle classes. A fighter, a scrapper, and somebody who was not afraid to stick it to the right-wing. He was an unabashed Liberal, who didn’t hide from the term, but actually embraced it at a time when the left was in need of somebody who had the chutzpah to duke it out with the politicians and pundits from the right. Weiner, like his “brother from another mother,” Eliot Spitzer, was a victim of his self-righteousness, and his single-mindedness, and it left him blinded when it came to his own sins, and like Spitzer, set him up for his tragic fall.

Another “hero” of the middle class who was led astray by his hubris and his favorite “appendage.” The result, another “pursed lip.” (Getty Images)

Weiner’s fall from power and prominence would be tragic if he were somewhat less of a despicable character to begin with. His abrasive personality made him hard to like even before he was “outed” as a “pervert.” The real tragedy here of course is the suffering he has caused for his long-suffering wife Huma Abedin, and their daughter. I recognize that the world has changed a lot for children in the five decades since I began elementary school. However, I still believe that it must be excruciating when a child is asked either by their teacher or a school mate, “So what does your daddy do for a living?” and they are forced to respond, “My father is a failed former congressman from New York City, but right now he’s in prison for texting inappropriately with a 15-year-old girl, and then when he is released, he gets to register as a sex offender. Do you want to play with me?”

Look, I might not have had the coolest Dad in the world, and I may not have known what an accountant was when I was a kid, (or now) and he night have worn polyester shorts with black socks and shoes, um, what was my point? Anyway, Weiner’s meteoric rise and fall has caused a lot of collateral damage to be sure.

The tantalizing tale of Anthony Weiner and his very soon-to-be ex-wife Huma Abedin, is only made more fascinating by her close association with failed 2016 presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton, a woman who also knows only too well the trials and travails of having a husband who falls a little bit south of being trustworthy. (New York Times)

It seems like a lifetime ago that Anthony Weiner was once considered a rising star within the Democratic party. Weiner provided ballast for the Democrats in Congress as they attempted to fight back against the Conservative wave that had propelled George W. Bush to a solid reelection victory in 2004, as well as achieving impressive majorities for the Republicans in both houses. Weiner positioned himself as a feisty populist who was unapologetically liberal. The Congress however, was supposed to serve only as a pit stop for Weiner. His true target was Gracie Mansion, the second most difficult job in America, the Major of New York CIty.

(Now who would be rooting for that guy to fail? Irascible Anthony letting some acid fly on the floor of the “People’s House.” You Tube)

Unfortunately for Weiner, Abedin, and Hillary Clinton, a funny thing happened on the way to the mansion. The man who seemed consumed with all things political, apparently had a little too much free time on his hands. Incredibly, the fall of Anthony Weiner would involve of all things, Briebart.com.

In 2011, it was Briebart.com, the publication that helped propel Steve Bannon into the inner circle of power as one of Donald Trump’s closest advisors. that broke the story that Congressman Anthony Weiner had been sending sexually explicit pictures of his “wurst” to a 21-year-old woman, as well as other women both before and during the time he was married. The scandal was dubbed “Weinergate,” and it begged the question, did Weiner know it was his “weiner,” and when did he know it? Weiner’s first reaction to the burgeoning scandal was to take that all too infamous swim up the river that all sleazy politicians must swim at one time or another, “de-Nile.” However, Weiner eventually had to come clean and admit the truth that it was indeed his “little house member” that he had tweeted out into the “Twittersphere,” and he would be forced to resign from Congress.

In an act almost too incomprehensible to conceive, Weiner continued to send illicit text messages, even after his resignation from Congress under the pseudonym, “Carlos Danger.” If you read that in a cheap “dime-store” novel, you would say, what poorly written nonsense, this is beyond belief. Well my friends, never underestimate the power of the male ego, particularly when it comes to their obsession and fascination with their favorite “utensil.” (You Tube)

Weiner somehow had convinced himself that just two years later in 2013, his reputation, as well as his bona-fides as a Liberal New Yorker, coupled with the theory that all politicians and celebrities in America somehow garner a second act, felt confident enough to run for the job he had always craved, the Mayor of New York City. As one of the “bluest” cities in America, the only election for Mayor of New York City that even matters most of the time is the Democratic primary. Several individuals were vying for the position that had been held by the popular Independent Mayor, Michael Bloomberg. While Bloomberg was certainly no conservative, his policies and positions were often slightly to the right of many New Yorkers. Weiner sensed an opportunity, and along with the help of his wife, savvy political operative Huma Abedin, made his move to remake himself as a somewhat “flawed,” but passionate advocate for the middle class.

(As somebody who was yelled at by a lot of men in yarmulkes while I was laboring in Hebrew School as a youth, I can tell you that it usually doesn’t end well. They seem to always have the moral high ground, especially when they are arguing with someone who possesses the moral fiber of an Anthony Weiner. By the way, arguing with a man wearing a yarmulke is typically not a recommended approach for winning the job of Mayor of New York City either. You Tube)

Weiner’s campaign for Mayor of New York City was going to be a challenging endeavor even if he had been on his best behavior. However, Weiner’s personality and its seemingly endless well of flaws made him an easy public figure to bait for the media, as well as everyday New Yorkers. Weiner’s combative personality led him into several high-profile confrontations which only served to further the idea that he had learned nothing from his scandal as a congressman. In fact, he seemed to act as if he had no sense of shame or humility in the face of what he had been caught doing.

Weiner believed that he could overcome all of these obstacles if he simply stuck to the issues of middle-class economic concerns, and staked out ultra liberal positions on the campaign trail. There were even polls showing that he was making some in-roads. Then, as former New York Mets announcer Bob Murphy used to famously say about any Met pitcher who got lit up by the opposing team after a few innings, “And then the roof fell in.” Weiner once again was caught sending out illicit text messages, and it would appear that he had forever destroyed his political career, as well as his family life.

One group who have benefitted greatly by the whole “Weinergate” fiasco have been late-night talk-show hosts. Anyone who says that Anthony Weiner didn’t know how to create jobs, simply didn’t know what they were talking about. (You Tube)

Last year, Showtime aired a documentary simply called Weiner, and never before has a title that said so little, said so much. If ever a name defined an individual, it was Weiner, the man, the story. The documentary is embarrassing, fascinating, difficult to watch, but impossible to look away from. It is both maddening, and yet pathetic. You can’t watch Weiner’s story without finding him repulsive on almost every human level, and yet, like some of our favorite fictional tragic heroes, be they Tony Soprano, Don Draper, or Walter White, you find yourself hoping against hope that they will somehow see the light and do the right thing, if not for themselves, then for those around them.

Watching Weiner, seeing his mistakes and his personal failings, you can’t help but wonder, why would a man who had so much to gain both personally and professionally, risk it all? There are several ways of looking at Weiner’s tragic fall.

Some people are drawn to risk. – There are those who simply love to take chances, and the idea that they can get away with something so potentially dangerous is a natural high.

Narcissism – Like our current president, some men and I suppose woman of power can only see the world in how they are affected by it, and they are incapable of understanding how their actions can affect anybody else other than themselves.

Hubris – People like Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer always assume that they are the smartest people in the room, and they are always confident that they can outsmart everybody around them, and they actually “get off” keeping one step ahead of the crowd.

Self-Destructive – Weiner and so many other talented and successful people for one reason or another have trouble handling their own fame and accomplishments, and often seem to spend a lot of energy sabotaging themselves, perhaps before others get the chance?

Addiction – While I know that many remain skeptical of addiction as a real medical illness, if you think about what it means to be an addict, Weiner and his behavior regarding his “sexting” and the illicit pictures he sent out over Twitter, even after he had been caught doing so the first time, tells you everything you need to know about being an addict. The abuser will always put their addiction first. Everything else comes second, and their thoughts are always preoccupied by how they can maintain their habit, even at the expense of everything they hold dear, including family, and career.

(Anthony Weiner, perhaps finally coming to grips with who he is, what he has done, and why it all happened. This is the first step towards recovery as any expert would tell you. Hey, wait a second, can you say, “Weiner for President in 2020?” You Tube)

Perhaps the most compelling issue regarding people like Anthony Weiner, Eliot Spitzer, Bill Clinton, Larry Craig, John Ensign, Newt Gingrich, or Dennis Hastert is how they can compartmentalize their lives. On the surface, they attempt to come across as straight shooters, advocates for the regular hard-working American family. They go to church or temple, have nice families, and appear to be upstanding people, and yet they have this other side that they hide or deflect from. Is this true of all of us? Do we all compartmentalize our lives between what is acceptable and what isn’t? If so, why do we come down so hard on those who do it publicly? Is it because we always hate in others what we fear most about ourselves? It’s hard to say, but just in case I may be on to something, I’m just going to take a break and erase my browser history. You know, just in case I was hacked.